Day 53

Today is the day for my visit to The Phi Phi Islands, the Phi Phi Islands are an archipelago of 6 Islands, with 2 main islands; Phi Phi Don & Phi Phi Leh. 🏝 

It’s an early start for me as I’m being picked up at 7 – 7.15, feels like the middle of the night tbh! 

I’ve packed my bag for the day, all the essentials, bug spray, sun cream, water, towel, sarong. 

I’m all ready and waiting by 7, my minibus arrives on time it appears I’m the first to be picked up. As we head off it starts to rain 😬 the weather has been beautiful for the last 10 days, bright and sunny every day, but today it changes! Frustrating. The rain get’s heavier and heavier, this does not bode well, if the weather is to rough the trip will,be cancelled or the crossing pretty unpleasant. All I can do is wait and see. 

We pick up our next lot of clients In Patong, a group of 4 large, loud men all wearing Panama hats. I say a cheery ‘morning’ get nothing back! 

The next group are 2 guys, they say Hi. Then 2 couples with luggage, I assume aren’t going on a day trip! 

It’s still raining. 

It takes 2 hours to collect everyone and get to Rassada Port, but it was interesting passing through the various places, Kata, Karon Beach, Phucket. On the road leading to the port, it seems like you pass through a very local, residential area, which again is interesting to see. 

At the Port we check in with our respective tour organisations and are able to grab some coffee, biscuits and fruit. 

Then we have a safety, information talk. They offer us sea sickness tablets. I opt not to take one as the last time I took one with Rebecca, Chris & the kids in Cairns it made me go a Doolally! 🤪  

I buy a pair of slip on surf/beach shoes which will be good on the boat and in the sea. 

Our party is made up the 4 Hatted guys, a group of 3 other big guys, the 2 guys who said Hi and 2 Families with older children and a couple, who I think know the crew. 

The Speedboat is smaller than I had imagined, but all good. I pop on my life jacket, grab a seat at the back (the least bumpy area apparently) 

then we head out. 

It’s still raining, and grey. 

The Ocean is actually pretty calm and the weather starts to clear as we move away from the Port. 

It’s a 45 minute ride to our first stop and it goes well, I spend the time standing up looking at the ocean and the few small islands we pass. Some of the passengers have gone a little quiet and green! 

The 4 Hatted guys, don’t want to wear their life jackets, and are still being extremely loud.

Our first stop is at Phi Phi Leh and Maya Bay. 

Maya Bay is where the film The Beach, With Leonardo DiCaprio was filmed. Since then it has become hugely popular with thousands of tourists in boats visiting all year round. This had a devastating effect on the wildlife and the ecosystem. So in 2018 it was closed to everyone and teams worked to restore the area. This has been hugely successful. The Beach is being reopened in October of this year, but with lots of restrictions. 

I’ve added a link in this blog to explain it in more detail (never done this before, so not sure if it’ll work 🤞)

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/maya-bay-thailand-recovery-c2e-spc-intl/index.html

Our boat is allowed to stop at the mouth of the bay and we can take pictures. The bay is absolutely stunning, the colours are insane! I wish image a better camera as my little Samsung doesn’t do it justice! 

The beach looks pristine. 

We are allowed to move to the front of the boat to take pictures. The hatted guys, just push passed everyone to get tot he front, as do all the other guys! Such Dicks! I am the last person to go and make the mistake of not taking off my life jacket for the photo! 😁

This stop results in more people getting sick, it’s the way the boat is rolling in the waves I think. 

I’m fine, not sickness. 

After this we have a short run around to the other side of Maya Bay to see the new Pier and walkway built for future visits to the Bay then we are going to Pileh Lagoon for swimming. 

The Lagoon is gorgeous, such wonderful colours, which change depending on the depth of the water, from green to bright turquoise. 

It’s also amazing to see so much greenery growing from the rocks. 

There are a few boats in the lagoon, so swimming is limited to the area around our boat. 

At this point I need to explain that I have a huge fear of being in water out of my depth, this fear is heightened if it’s the sea. 

I also really don’t like the idea of being in just my costume in front of strangers. 

All of these things have been going round in my head as we traveled to this point. 

I make the decision that I am going to massively regret not getting into this beautiful sea, I ask Tor, our guide to take some pictures, I strip off and am the first to get in the sea!! 😍OMG! it’s so fabulous, the water is very deep but this just makes you more buoyant. I have a swim around, not to far and only get back onboard when all the guys jump in and start messing about. 

Getting back onboard is not easy but manageable. I am so pleased that I did it. 

We stay in the Lagoon for a while and it’s great just watching everything, I love the small wooden boats that some people are on, I guess they come from islands close by. 

After here we have a look at Viking Cave, a cave with some cave paintings and also home to birds; ‘Swiflets’ who’s nest are used in Birds Nest soup, the nests fetch around 150,000tbt per kilo (£3,000) 

The cave is now guarded day and night from pirates. 

After this we go to Nui Bay for snorkelling 🤿 

I was feeling pretty good about the swimming, but still very unsure about snorkelling. I’ve had some unpleasant experiences, and again it terrifies me. 

I decide to have a go, get my gear on and my life jacket and get into the water. Unlike the Lagoon, the water here is choppy and moving. I try to do it whilst holding on to the rope on the boat, but I simply panic. The it’s everything around my face, the water moving, the idea of being loose & untethered in the ocean is too much. I clamber rapidly back onto the boat. Tor speaks to me and offers to come in with me, I’m not sure, she might be holding me, but who’s holding her?? We are still untethered. She is so calm, lovely & reassuring that I agree to try again. 

We get in and I definitely don’t feel as panicky. We move away from the boat and the fish I can see are amazing 🐠 🐟 🐠 These little Yellow ones with black stripes come right up to you, the beauty of what I’m seeing helps me to calm down. We head quite far from the boat, I’ve still got a death grip on Tors hand! Then I come up and look around, we are far from the boat, but it’s still visible. I take a deep breath and tell Tor that I think I’ll be OK on my own. She swims away, I’m alone, untethered in the bloody ocean!! 

I put my head back down and look at the wonderful world below and just enjoy it. After a while I decide to go back, the boat is further away than before, but I reassure myself that I can now swim for a long while without stopping, so getting back to the boat will be fine, no need to panic. The current is strong, pushing you back, but I just keep going and then just before I get to the boat, one of the crew is there with a life ring, which I hold and we go together the last bit. I clamber back into the boat remove all my stuff and then have a cry! 

Im so incredibly proud of myself, this is a fear I’ve had for many years and have tried numerous times to overcome and never been able to. So go me!! I feel so happy!! 

After this momentous occasion, that nobody else is even aware of 😍 we go to Phi Phi Don for lunch and some free time. 

Phi Phi Don is the largest of the Islands and has hotels, shops, etc locals live here and it is beautiful. I have a little bit of lunch then go for a wander. There are lots of cats! 

We all get back on the boat, the 4 hatted guys, the 3 large guys and the 2 guys all seem to have now bandied together into a loud, rude, impolite homogeneous group, which I’m terming a “Twatage’ (ie a bunch Twats!) 

They push in front of everyone, don’t listen to instructions, shout, and generally behave badly. 

We are now going to Monkey Beach, which as the name suggests has monkeys on. Although the monkeys live in the trees and don’t always come down to the beach. The monkeys are Long Tailed  Macaques. 

We had been told not to feed, or bother them as they can be vicious. 

As we pull into the beach I spot 2 Eagles, one of which swoops down a grabs a fish! Wow! 

I didn’t take my phone/camera onto the islands as getting on and off the boat was tricky and I didn’t want to lose it. 

There were no monkeys in sight, so I walk to the end of the beach to sit in peace and watch the beautiful ocean, watching for monkeys or more eagles. 

As I walk back up the beach a large Macaque saunters on to the beach at which point one of the ‘Twatage’ offers it some food! WTF! It rushes up at him, looks like it’s going to climb up his leg, he lobs the food away just in time. Why? Just why? I’ve see how big these guys teeth are you don’t mess with them. 

I manage to get a photo of the monkey when we are back in the boat. 

It’s really sad watching him pick up and try to drink out of an empty coke bottle. Perhaps they should close this beach for a while as well.

We now have a 45 minute ride to our next stop, Khai Island. 

We head out and it’s a little more choppy, big troughs, which you slam down into. The ‘Twatage’ have all gone a little green, which at least serves to keep them quiet! 

We seem to have been going for longer than 45 mins, but no stopping in site, I also realise none of us put our life jackets in when we re boarded.

The one of the guys at the back of the boat, next to the engines starts gesturing to the pilot/driver, quite frantic gesturing to be fair! The next thing we slow then stop, they guy lifts one engine out of the water looks at it then we continue. Odd. 

After another 5 minutes there is more frantic gesturing, then lifting a seat above the engines looking, shouting. The next thing, both guys at the back have plastic bowls, cartons in their hands and are bailing out water from the engine! WTAF! Everyone suddenly moves forward, grabs life jackets. There is more frantic bailing, Tor and the other crew Tao, are saying, it’s all fine, nothings wrong….Mmm I’m not sure that’s actually true! 😬

Luckily we arrive at Khai Islands shortly after this. 

Khai Islands, is not really my cup of tea, lots of bars, deckchairs, loads of people. I have a wander around, collect a few shells, have a paddle, watch some girls feeding watermelon to beautiful green/blue fish, pay 20th t for a wee then it’s time to go.

To get back on board you have to walk on a floating pontoon, seriously! 😂😂 Obviously my propensity to falling over is going to be severely tested. I make it without falling over, although this may have been due to having a crew member on either side of me! 😂 

We arrive back at Rassada Port without having to bail water, result. 

The ‘Twatage’ luckily get into a different minibus to me! I enjoy a peaceful, if damp (I’m still wearing my wet costume and sarong ) drive back to the hotel. 

I have a lovely hot shower and a couple of Rum & Cokes! 

All in all I’ve had an absolutely amazing, fun, exciting and remarkable day! I’m very happy indeed. 

❤️❤️